Happy Home Repair

So one morning I got up and noticed that the ceiling in the bathroom was cracking - almost peeling. Much to my dismay it was beyond the point of just being able to paint over. So I did a little research online and came to two conclusions:
1. An exhaust fan was about the only way to prevent this from happening (there was a fan in the bathroom, but it did not work - there was no switch for it).
2. To give the ceiling the best possible chance of never looking this terrible again, I needed to scrape, sand, texture, prime, and paint.
As I was sanding (btw - terrible experience) I had to pull the exhaust fan cover down and noticed it was not plugged in - expletive. Who unplugs the exhaust fan and puts me through misery! Here is my face after the discovery: The whole house was covered in dust, I had white snot, and spent the whole weekend on the project. This was not a planned project, so I was rushing and felt busier than a one legged man in a butt kicking contest. I would post a picture of the "after" shot, but it looks EXACTLY THE SAME as before it started cracking, so it is not that exciting. Good times.

updates

We have certainly resorted to only providing occasional updates. Maybe someday we will write something more interesting, but for now, here is the rundown:
1. Kristy got a new job - she is the Director of Admission for Seaver College at Pepperdine. Many challenges and blessings to follow with this new position.
2. We took a little trip to North Carolina to visit our friends Janet and Rich and enjoyed the company and beautiful fall colors.
3. We moved! Our new home is a two bedroom townhome in Thousand Oaks.
4. Kristy made her first academic conference presentation at ASHE in Jacksonville, FL. It was awesome.
5. Tristan Owen Collins is our new nephew. We can't wait to meet him at Thanksgiving. www.casadecollins.blogspot.com

Pictures below....
Golfing at Mountain Air - 40 degrees cold!
Dining room with newly minted crown molding.
Master bedroom
Kitchen
View from the front door (it is hole number 17 at Los Robles)
Living room

Princesses, Coffee, School, and Surgery

To highlight the events of the past month, I will break it down:

1. Over the fourth of July weekend, we spent several days in Texas with the

 Collins family. It was great to relax with the family and eat massive amounts of homemade vanilla ice cream, cherry pie (Chris's favorite), and Chick-fil-A. However, spending quality time with Princess Ava, our 2 year old niece, was definitely the highlight of the trip.  At this juncture in "little girl-hood," she is obsessed with all things pink, fluffy, and princess-y. She even dreams about castles and crowns. One of the best moments occurred just as we were saying goodbye. She walked around to everyone in the room, kissed their hand, and said, "Goodbye Princess Kristy," Goodbye Princess Chris," etc. When she kissed her mom's hand, she said, "Goodbye your majesty!"  

2. Very exciting news: In July, I (Kristy) officially wrapped up my first year of doctoral studies! While on one hand, the year flew by, the other hand is exhausted from paper-writing and researching. I had a two week session of class intensives at APU a few weeks ago, and left with with a fresh start to a new year, packed with homework assignments, project proposals, and research ideas. On the same note, a proposal/project that I had written was accepted for presentation at the Association for the Study of Higher Ed conference in Florida this year!

As Chris and I continue to embark upon the adventures of academe together, we are amazed at our incredible compatibility. There is no doubt in our mind that we truly make each other better, in every way. In fact, this month we commenced our first project together as researchers. In brief, we are looking at the differences in spiritual development among students of varying racial backgrounds. So far, it is fascinating! 

3. While I wrapped up class at APU, Chris visited Michigan State University (a land grant institution) to conduct one of the last portions of his dissertation research. MSU, Texas A&M, and the University of Rwanda have forged a fascinating partnership centered around the PEARL project: The Partnership for Enhancing Agriculture in Rwanda through Linkages. In an effort to rebuild Rwanda from the aftermath of the war and genocide of 1994, the project paired experts from each of the three universities with rural Rwandan communities in an effort to generate income through agricultural product development - which in this case, is coffee! Chris was able to tour the facilities in Michigan that roast and process the fair-trade coffee that was produced in Rwanda. We have already started planning a trip to Africa for next summer! (To learn more about this gourmet fair-trade coffee, click here.)

4. Last but certainly not least, we embarked upon yet another adventure this past week...gum graft surgery. For various reasons, I need gum grafts on almost all of my teeth - and last Friday, I had my first of FIVE oral surgeries. To say that I was freaked out about the surgery would be an understatement - I can't tell you how many nights leading up to the surgery Chris had to calm me down! Well, as with most things, the whole process was not nearly as bad as we had anticipated. In fact, it has been a great bonding experience for us. While I always knew Chris was a wonderful caregiver, he was/is truly incredible. He cooked, prepared, and food-processed a variety of dishes, he brought my frozen yogurt nearly every day, he switched my ice-packs, rubbed my back, brought me my meds, bought me new shoes and clothes (that all fit!), and told me I was the most beautiful girl in the world - even though I was bruised and swollen like a quasi-feminine Frankenstein!  True love...that is all I have to say!

Hawaii, Costa Rica, and More!

The summer has and will be immersed in a lot of traveling. Starting in March, Kristy and I were bouncing around the country. She was in Seattle, I was in New York, and we met up in Phoenix for a nice weekend with the Tuckers. After being back in Malibu for a couple of weeks, we went to Hawaii (see picture above) and we just returned from Costa Rica last week. Kristy left today for Washington State and I will leave for a Fresno camping trip on Friday. We are going to Tijuana, Mexico for a Paredes Family reunion in July, as well as a trip to Tejas to visit the Collins family. I am certain we will be eager to take a break soon. Our anniversary is June 15th. Already one year under our belt and we both feel blessed to share our lives together. Costa Rica was a nice way to have an early celebration. I included lots of pictures with captions below.

We knew there would be many adventures, so the first thing we did when we arrived was play golf, while we got our bearings and figured out where all we wanted to go. It turned out the golf course was an adventure itself: iguanas, monkeys, and 25 lost balls on the first round!Once we had our bearings and a couple of rounds of golf (the second round was MUCH better), we got busy seeing the country. One of highlights was a trip to the Manuel Antonio National Park. We got to see the best of the beaches and a nice hike through the rain forest. We ran into about 10 monkeys on our hike, noticed a three toed sloth above us on the beach, and saw a couple of other things that were not quite identifiable to us. Another day we enjoyed a canopy tour of ziplines through the rain forest and seeing big crocs on the side of the road.



Overall we had a wonderful trip. Enjoy the photos!!

Blessings...

We are immensely blessed. While we have been married for just over eight months, we feel like we are in a perpetual state of honeymoon! Life has certainly continued to whirl by, but we enjoy our precious moments of peace with one another...and of course, with those we love!

Here are a few other ways, in particular, we have been recently blessed:

Chris has been working a great deal on his dissertation proposal - and it looks like he will get his defense scheduled pretty soon! His topic is fascinating, the research is energizing, and we are so excited to watch it develop. Nelson Mandela has said, "education is the most powerful weapon, and you can use it to change the world." As Chris studies the function of higher education in developing countries as a mode of poverty reduction, we certainly agree...

Last week, we had the opportunity to watch two performances by the Spirit of Uganda, a group of 22 students from Uganda (aged 8-22 years) whose families have been directly impacted by AIDS. They travel and perform all over the world to raise awareness of children who have been orphaned as a result of the AIDS epidemic in Africa. Their joy and passion was exhilarating, their talent was phenomenal, and they truly touched our hearts. In fact, by the end of the day, we were ready to adopt Phyllis, a sprightly and spirited fourth grader...alas, in the brief moments we spent with her (Chris became one of her "new best friends,"), she touched our hearts... The group of students was true inspiration to live joyfully as a blessed child of God, despite the circumstances.

Friends Ashley and Nate Tucker form Arizona visited us this past weekend...while it was a short visit, it was wonderful to share an evening with them! Oh how I miss seeing Ashley every day!

Finally, I have recently finished and ordered our wedding album. The photos, some of which I have included here, serve as a constant reminder of the gift that God has granted us, in each other.





Here's to a blessed day!

Construction Zone

Chris likes tools. Big ones, at that. Among the big tools he owns, there is a miter saw, a miter saw table, a circular saw, a biscuit cutter (not the kind of biscuits you are thinking). Mind you, we do not have a garage, a patio, or any out-of-the-apartment storage space whatsoever. That being said, our office also functions as a tool shed. For months now (since he got the big tools, that is), Chris has been dying for a workspace. Somewhere where he can cut wood, build furniture, paint, etc.

Several days ago we unloaded a truck load of new and ridiculously cheap furniture (8 bookcases and a desk, to be exact) in our apartment. Long story short, we struck gold just as Bombay Company went bankrupt. Alas, some of the furniture required a bit of demolition, alteration, and paint to work in our apartment. In the mind of Chris: why wait for a garage or a patio when I have a perfectly good living room to work in?



That being said, Chris sawed and painted things in our living room. Afterwards, he vacuumed and dusted every inch.

I love my husband with every ounce of my being...and believe it or not, I find moments such as this to be entirely endearing!

Christmas and Beyond

While this was our third Christmas together, we have certainly decided that Christmas is even better when we are married! We spent most of our Christmas break in Texas with the Collins fam. While it was hard to be away from my family (first time for that, too), we had a great time.

It was wonderful to have quality family time, spend time with Ava (our precious 2 year old niece), and work on some projects. As a gift to Chris's mom and dad, the brothers installed over 150 feet of crown molding! One of our favorite moments was spent in Dallas at the Galleria with friends Shelly and Josh. For an afternoon, we joined dozens of kids out on the ice rink. I have always wanted to hold Chris's hand while ice skating! Thankfully, none of us fell...despite the kids that sped around us or tripped right in front of us!



A few days after we returned from Texas, I headed to Azusa Pacific for two more weeks of class. While spending every day in class was certainly exhausting, it was still enjoyable. I did not drive back and forth every day, as the commute is brutal. I was only able to come home for one night. Chris and I missed each other a lot (he seems to think that life is MUCH better when I am around!), but that made for an even sweeter homecoming!